


dirt on our uniforms

by exbex



Series: I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends [4]
Category: The Royal Romance (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Feels, F/F, F/M, Gen, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:47:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23250451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exbex/pseuds/exbex
Summary: “Wait. I thought you were trying to figure out Zane, not getting me to open up about my personal issues.”“In order to understand her, I need to understand the effect she had on those closest to her.” He paused. “This isn’t just a fact-finding mission Drake. I’m here to help His Majesty, and the rest of you, decipher what the next course of action should be.”Everything in my stomach felt like it was turning into ice water. Of course, he wasn’t here to help us play detective, he was here to help us figure out how to be judge and jury.
Relationships: Drake Walker & Main Character (The Royal Romance), Hana Lee/Main Character (The Royal Romance), Maxwell Beaumont/Main Character (The Royal Romance)
Series: I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1642447
Comments: 14
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

“Is this being recorded?” I looked around the room for cameras, before turning my attention back to Dr. Porter.

“These interviews will not be recorded, no.”

I narrowed my eyes. “That seems….like an unusual choice.”

“Your loyalty to the Crown isn’t in question. And I believe I’ll get better answers out of you the more comfortable you feel.”

I had to appreciate the honesty. “Okay Doc.” I pressed my hands to the tops of my thighs. “But I don’t know what I can add. And I’m not one to talk about my feelings to a complete stranger.”

“Understandable.” Porter drummed his fingers on the table. “How about this? Did anything ever strike you as different, or surprising about Riley?”

I laughed sarcastically. “Constantly. I thought she was a...wide-eyed baby deer, but then, she seemed like more of a coyote.”

“When did that shift begin to occur?”

“The day of the Derby.”

*******

I watched Zane walk into the stable and cursed under my breath. I’d promised Liam that I would look out for her, make sure she didn’t get into trouble, and here she was wandering into a stable with thousand-pound, high-strung thoroughbreds.

I ducked into the stable, but all I saw was a few horses munching hay. Where the hell had she gone?

“Are you following me?”

I just about jumped out of my skin, but I managed to suppress a yelp and I turned around to see Zane slipping out of an empty stall. “What the hell Zane?”

“Answer my question.”

“Yeah, okay. I was following you, but in the bodyguard sort of way, not the stalker sort of way.”

“Do all the suitors get a bodyguard detail?”

“No. Liam asked me to keep an eye on you, and seeing as you’re here and not where you’re supposed to be, I guess his instincts were correct.”

“Well, I’m lost. Maxwell told me to look for the pink tents.”

“You’re looking for the white tents. If you go through the doors we came in, then to your right, you’ll see them. That’s where you’ll find the other suitors.”

She nodded. “Thanks.”

“Good luck.”

“You’re not coming with me?”

“No… I'm due to meet Liam. He's got his own private tent. We usually just hang out, get some drinks, watch the ceremonies, place our bets on the horses… it's pretty sweet.” I smiled.

“Well in that case, I’m going with you.”

“What?”

“It sounds more fun where you're going. Take me with you.”

“I don't think you're supposed to…”

She shrugged. “What are they going to do, put me in princess jail?”

It took real effort to stop myself from smiling, but it wouldn’t do to show my hand “Well, when you put it that way, I guess I can’t argue with you.” I led her to Liam’s private tent and handed her a pass. “I’m going to go get beers for us.”

I could hear them conversing by the time I returned. “What strikes me is that they’re so trapped. Bred and trained for our diversion and amusement.”

“I never thought of it like that. If it’s any consolation, I’ve seen the pastures and stables these horses live in. They’re cared for very well.”

“Nothing like a little gilding to make a cage bearable.”

I cleared my throat before I walked in. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

Zane gave me a smile. “Of course not, we’re happy to see you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you have beer.” She took one of the beers from me. “And apparently you’re the best. At least that’s what Liam says.”

*****

“I was so caught up in this idea of her as this naive young woman, I didn’t catch on to the way she was sneaking up on me.”

“Why did you assume she was naive?”

“She was a commoner, and a foreigner. What would she know about life at court?”

“But you seem to have assumed that she was fragile and innocent. Why?”

“Yeah, I know. Assumptions. I didn’t know anything about her, and I didn’t bother asking.”

“Because you’re not a fan of talking to strangers.”

“Good one Doc. I paused. “Maybe it wasn’t so much that, as that she seemed, when we met her in New York, like a free spirit, for lack of a better word. You have to be savvy at 

Court, you can’t just say exactly what you mean, not if you want to fit in. But anyway, after the day of the Derby, I started to figure out that maybe she didn’t need me looking out for her. But I kept my walls up. I think I was starting to let them down, but then there was the day of the regatta.”

“What happened that day?”

*******

“Riley, I’d like to give you something as a consolation prize.” Hana swam her way over to us.

Zane visibly brightened. “Is it a kiss?” she asked, and her voice was laden with flirtation.

My jaw dropped at the way Zane was looking at Hana with barely concealed desire, though I really shouldn’t have been surprised; Zane had clucked over me like a mother hen when she was efficiently and quickly applying sunscreen to my back, and then had practically tripped over me to go rub sunscreen on Hana, which she did very slowly and thoroughly. “Calm down Zane!” I said, my voice a little bit higher than I would have liked.

I thought Hana might get flustered, but she just reached for Zane and cupped her face in her hands, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek. “Like that?” she smiled as she pulled away.

“You should always ask for what you want,” Zane smiled.

“Well, I had another something in mind,” Hana then dove beneath the water and returned with a seashell.

“Wow,” Zane held it in her hand, examining the way it caught and reflected the light. “How did you find this?”

“I saw it sitting at the bottom while you were racing. They’re quite common in this area.”

“It’s so pretty.”

“How come I don’t get anything? I won.” I had to stop myself from folding my arms across my chest.

Hana frowned, then brightened. “Oh, I know!” She dove beneath the water and resurfaced with a sand dollar.

I took it from her gingerly. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

“Wear it as a hat,” Zane said.

“That’s stupid,” I scowled. “This thing is stupid.”

“Your loss,” Zane shrugged. “It would have made a cute sand beret.”

“Whatever you say Zane,” I said as I let it go and watched it drift beneath the surface.

******

“I thought she was trying to shake up Hana, play some mind games.”

“From your description, it sounds like genuine flirtation.”

“You can’t just take things at face value like that at court.”

“Or you were affected by-“

“Compulsory heterosexuality. I know, I’ve gotten this lecture from Zane. And Hana. And Maxwell. And Hana’s other ex. And Zane’s brother.”

“But also…”

“You’ll have to tell me Doc.”

“Your own feelings.”

“I wasn’t aware of my feelings for Zane yet.”

“There are other things at play. You felt ignored.”

I felt my shoulders kind of stiffen, and I wanted to challenge him on it, but there was no deflecting; he was here to draw out the truth, and he was good at it. Except…

“Wait. I thought you were trying to figure out Zane, not getting me to open up about my personal issues.”

“In order to understand her, I need to understand the effect she had on those closest to her.” He paused. “This isn’t just a fact-finding mission Drake. I’m here to help His Majesty, and the rest of you, decipher what the next course of action should be.”

Everything in my stomach felt like it was turning into ice water. Of course, he wasn’t here to help us play detective, he was here to help us figure out how to be judge and jury.

“Are you going to be alright?” His look was sympathetic.

I thought about lying, but once again, I realized that hiding things wasn’t going to get us anywhere. “I don’t know. I...I guess I haven’t allowed myself to think about...what comes next.” It hit me then, just what could happen, and I squeezed my eyes shut. 

Porter didn’t press me, just let me look away and try to get myself together. I took a few deep breaths, but then I thought of not just myself, but Hana, and Liam, and Maxwell. 

“Fuck. I wish I could hate her.” Porter didn’t ask why, probably because he knew why. I took a few deep breaths, trying to get my bearings. There wasn’t anything for it, but to get back to what we were talking about. Wait, that was it. I opened my eyes fully. “Genuine. That’s the crux of it, right? Is Riley Zane for real?” I stopped, and stood up. I had to walk around, try to clear my head. “Well, she could have just cut her losses, right? It was a real gamble, going with Maxwell and Betrand when they went to get her from the airport, then accepting Liam’s offer to become a duchess. She was taking a risk, that she’d never be found out, or...that she would be, but it wouldn’t stack up against her.” I paused, and my pacing slowed. Had she figured that her service to Cordonia would outweigh her espionage? Was that why she had worked so hard to unify Cordonia and take down Severus?”

“That’s insane.”

“What is?”

I sat back down. “It’d be insane, to accept an appointment to being a duchess, then get married, then take on some terrorists, all to try to secure your future, and have some clout  
just in case your secrets get out. It’d have been much less of gamble to stay in the States.” I sighed and leaned forward, putting my head in my hands. “I don’t know if I can even trust my own mind.”

I could hear Porter writing something down on his notepad. When I looked up, he had tilted his head to the side. “Was that a fear of your’s, that she might stay in the States?”

I blinked. That gave me pause. “Yes. Yeah, I worried about that from the moment she was escorted out of the Coronation Ball.”


	2. Chapter 2

I opened the door to Zane’s room and wondered how my knees didn’t buckle beneath me. Hana stood next to the bed, holding the dress that Zane had been wearing less than an hour before. Every other trace of Riley was gone. 

*****

“I was ready to get on the next plane back to New York. Liam talked me down, said we had to wait for her to return to Court.”

Porter nodded, then wrote something else down. “Did you consider what you would have done if she hadn’t wanted to return?”

I shook my head. “Every time that throught crossed my mind, I stomped it down. I couldn’t even consider it if I wanted to keep my sanity. I just...needed her to come back so that Liam wouldn’t have to marry Madeleine. I just about drove myself crazy waiting. Fortunately, it was only a couple of weeks before I saw her again.” 

*****

I was headed towards the fire pit at Madeleine’s estate, only to see that someone had already gotten a fire going. And there she was, taking a long drag off of a cigarette.

“Zane?”

She looked like a kid caught smoking in the washroom at school. “Uh, hey. I didn’t know you’d returned to Court.”

“Of course I came back. I couldn’t stay away. Not with everything that’s happened to you. If there’s anything I can do to help...I want to do it.”

“Thanks, but I don’t want you getting yourself into hot water.”

I frowned “You know I care about your happiness. And Liam’s too. It makes me furious, what’s been done to both of you. Just...know that I’m here for you.” I sighed “I know it probably didn’t seem like it after the Coronation Ball.”

She took another drag off her cigarette. “No, I get it. Establish the fire line before attempting to mop up.”

“What?”

“Forest fire terminology.”

“Well...speaking of fires...I was planning to make some s’mores. I know you probably ate during the party, but if you want some dessert… you can't beat homemade s'mores. I'll make you the best s'mores of your life and tell you all about everything you've missed."

She flicked the ashes of her cigarette into the fire. “You have until I’ve finished this cigarette to come back from the kitchen with supplies. I limit myself to twelve cigs a year, so if you’re not back with some sugary distraction, I’m going to have to seek it out elsewhere.”

I returned with the promised treats, and we squabbled over the correct way to make a s’more.

“Sometimes you have to put something into a fire to make it better,” she said, and I watched in horror as she lit her marshmallow up and charred the damn thing, then placed it between two squares of chocolate and graham cracker.

“If you’d toast it properly, you wouldn’t have to mask the flavor by doubling up on the chocolate.”

“The only way to make a marshmallow tolerable is by bringing it to a melting point with lots of fire, then sandwiching it in chocolate.” And she punctuated her point by taking a huge bite from her s’more.

“I guess there’s no talking sense into you.” 

“Talk to me about how you became such a s’more conoisseur.” And that was how she cajoled stories about camping with my dad when I was a kid out of me.

“That sounds wonderful.” She gave me a wistful smile. “I’m glad you have those kinds of memories with your dad.” She cleared her throat. “So you were going to tell me what happened after I was dragged away from the Coronation?” 

I nodded. “Yeah. After I finally got away from security, I ran after your car, but I couldn’t catch up to it. So I went back to your room and I found Liam and Hana there. I’ve never seen Liam so angry in my life. But we talked for a minute and made a plan: Liam would go through the motions of his engagement to Madeleine and get the tour underway, he’d make sure Madeleine would invite Hana to be one of her ladies-in-waiting so Hana could return from China, and I...well, I was going to get on the next flight to New York. At least I wanted to, but then Liam reminded me that it would be dangerous.”

She raised an eyebrow. “What if I hadn’t wanted to come back?”

I looked at her over the remains of my s’more. “But you did come back. I mean, Bertrand and Maxwell caught you before you got on the plane, I assume. But you could have gotten on the plane.”

“I almost did. To be honest with you, I didn’t have anything better to do. So I decided to take a chance.”

I didn’t know at the time that she had come back because she was falling for Hana, but I said it anyway: “We’re going to find the people responsible Zane, and you’re going to get the magical ever after you deserve.”

“Spare me Walker; fairy tales are for kids.”

She was parroting words I’d said to her at the Coronation Ball, and I would have thought she was doing it to give me a hard time, but there was no humor in her eyes.

*****

“And then it was full speed ahead, with the investigation. We were making progress, and it didn’t matter what weird thing we uncovered, how many layers we peeled back, things that might have shaken anyone else she just took in stride. It was as if she was in her element, doing all of this investigating.” I laughed, but I didn’t feel any humor. “I probably should have gotten a clue then, that she was hiding something big.” 

“Why do you think you didn’t become suspicious that there was more at play?”

“Well...I already knew she was smart. And ambitious. And there was a lot going on.” I paused. “And she was really good at hiding things because she wrapped them in layers and layers of truth.”

******

“Is that alright with you, Drake?”

“Yeah, sounds good.” The waiter nodded and left, and I raised an eyebrow at her. “I didn’t know you spoke Italian.”

“Barely. Enough to get by.” She shrugged.

“Did you pick it up from Hana?”

“My mother. She was Greek-Italian.” She paused, examining me.

“What?”

“I’m surprised your language skills seem this limited, living in Europe. And you said you do this kind of thing all the time. Or does Liam usually accompany you?”

“Rarely. He always has some event that demands his attention. And the upside of not speaking the local language is that no one can bother you.”

“Doesn’t it make ordering food more difficult?”

“Sure, but there’s something satisfying about living without a safety net.”

She rolled her eyes. I frowned. “What?”

“You say these things as if I don’t know. I’m not some sheltered noble, you know. I’ve been literally homeless, and I’ve survived much worse than anything I’ve encountered since I came here.”

I thought about what she’d said earlier that evening, at the state dinner. ‘I don’t want people going after you because we overturned the right rock,’ I’d said. She’d simply looked at me. ‘Lead, follow, or get out of the way,’ she’d replied. Things clicked into place now. She didn’t like being treated with kid gloves.

“Maybe I’m saying them because I know you’ll get it, Zane.” I gave her a challenging look.

Her eyes widened, her eyebrows going up, before her countenance relaxed and she smiled. “I stand corrected then.”

Our food came, and we spent a few moments distracted. Something else weighed on me, and I mentally squirmed. But I knew I should be forthright with her. “My dad died protecting the royal family. My mom decided to go back to the States. She was...struggling. Savannah and I stayed at Court. Bastien looked out for us, as much as he could, and Liam’s family kind of took us in.” I wasn’t sure why I was telling her all of this. Maybe I figured she’d get what I was trying to say; why it was so hard for me to think of anyone I cared about being in danger.

She was looking at me intently. Her eyes softened. “My father was killed in Afghanistan. I had thought, before that, maybe I would follow in his footsteps. But I...I was angry with him, for leaving me, I guess. And for dying for a country that was stolen from his ancestors.”

I nodded. “I idolized my dad. I thought about joining the King’s Guard, but I would have had to cut my teeth protecting some stuck up nobles first. And then after high school I decided I needed to try to make it on my own. I went to university for a while. Liam and I actually kind of drifted apart, since he was busy being introduced at Court.” I paused, looked down at my empty plate for a moment. “But then there was an assasination attempt on the royal family. The King’s Guard stopped it before anyone was injured, but it still shook Liam.”

“He never told me about that.”

“It doesn’t really come up in casual conversation. Besides, I don’t think he wants to remember those times… it was rough. He seemed fine to most people, but his brother dropped by my campus one night in the royal family’s private jet asking if I could come back. He was worried about Liam. Behind closed doors, Liam was not himself. He wasn’t eating and was growing distant. I knew I had to be there for him. Things were bad… He needed me. After that, I never really left. When I saw how things were at court for Liam, I knew I couldn’t leave him to these sharks. Liam plays the game well, but his heart’s not in it. He’d rather focus on the needs of the Cordonian citizens than reading press statements and attending parties. He needs someone cynical like me to have his back.”

“It must have been hard to give up your outside life though.”

I shrugged. “He’s my best friend.”

She nodded, slowly. “Liam took me to the Blue Grotto tonight.”

“Oh?” I tried to keep my face neutral. She had told me that she didn’t have feelings for him, and ever since the Engagement Tour had started, she’d seemed completely focused on the investigation, but I had wondered more than once what would happen if things panned out and she cleared her name prior to the wedding.

“I told him the truth. About what my motives were when I first came to Cordonia, and what I’m focused on now…” She paused. “And that I don’t have feelings for him.”

“What did he say to that?”

“He was amazing and understanding and selfless, of course, and that he’d never send me away.” She looked at me appraisingly. “You know him better than anyone Drake. Is he really going to be okay?”

“Zane, Liam is the most selfless person I’ve ever met. If you’re worried about him holding it against you, don’t be.” I paused. “He told me what happened between you two, during the social season. Or, what didn’t happen, I guess. I know you were careful with him.”

*****

Porter nodded, his eyes narrowed in thought. “She was careful with Liam, and she was honest, which had the effect of making you trust her.”

I nodded. “Exactly.”

He paused, as if he was deciding whether to bring something up. “And you’re a man of action, aren’t you Drake?”

I frowned. “I can’t say I’ve ever thought of it in those terms before, but yeah, you could say that.”

“Which meant you were focused on and invested in the investigation.”

“Yeah. And then, we had this major breakthrough.”

******

"So is that the plan for tonight? Dazzle and distract everyone with Drake's new suit?"

"Ha ha. Actually, Maxwell will create a distraction for us while we confront Bastien." 

Maxwell grinned. "Easy. Distraction is my middle name."

"Sound good?"

“Sounds good.” Zane nodded. “Are we ready to go?”

I looked at Zane. She was wearing a familiar outfit: jeans and a deep red blouse with a black leather jacket. “Wait a second. If I’ve got to get dressed up, shouldn’t Zane have to put something frilly or sparkly on?”

“Frilly or sparkly, instead of something that will help me blend into the female-free space? Yes, that makes so much sense,” Zane answered drily.

Maxwell bounced on the balls of his feet. “The bachelor party is going to be at a classy speakeasy. I’m sure we can find something at the boutique.” He ran off, leaving Zane glowering at his back, but she sighed and followed.

Maxwell was already pulling a dress off the rack as we caught up to him. “This is the one,” he grinned as he held it up.

I stared. “Maxwell, isn’t that dress a little...uh...revealing?”

Zane rolled her eyes. “No. I’m not wearing that.”

“You can pull it off Riley!”

“Irrelevant. I hate illusion necklines. And that thing is not going to fit over my hips.”

I cleared my throat. “Maybe we should get going.”

It was only a few minutes before the limo pulled up and we were handing our invitations to the King’s Guard. He narrowed his eyes at Zane, but she just stared right back at him, took a drag off the cigarette that she’d lit up in spite of mine and Maxwell’s protests, and said simply, “I’m with House Beaumont.”

The guard waved us through, but Bastien was not so easily swayed. "Drake, I see you've brought a security breach with you. I know you two are close, but I'm afraid Lady Riley will have to leave."

Riley peered up at him. “Penelope folded like a cheap suit,” she replied. 

Bastien scowled, but there was a hesitation in his eyes. “This isn’t the time or place for games.”

“She told me everything,” Riley said. “Don’t be obtuse.”

“I’m a servant of the Crown. Why would I care who King Liam chooses?”

Riley narrowed her eyes. “Someone’s obviously blackmailing you.”

Something in Bastien’s face shuttered. “Drake, you don’t want to do this.”

My face fell. “Please, help us out here. I know you’re a good guy…”

“Dammit Drake, I can’t!” He whispered sharply, but there was a fearful look on his face.

“Okay, I’ll go.” Zane pivoted and started moving towards an exit. 

“I’ll go with you Zane.”

Bastien put a hand on my arm. “Drake, I’m sorry. I didn’t want...This wasn’t personal, I swear.”

I glowered. “It feels pretty personal from where I’m standing.”

"I step out for ten minutes and come back to chaos. What is the meaning of this prolonged disturbance?”

I seethed, my hands clenching into fists as I rounded on him. “You,” I practically spat. “I found my sister.”

Bertrand’s expression flitted between shock, relief, and hope. “Lady Savannah?” He straightened, adjusting his tie. “Ah...she is well, yes?”

"Like you'd care."

He frowned. "We all do. Her disappearance was quite a mystery."

"She told me everything that happened between you two."

Bertrand's jaw fell as his face flushed red. "I…"

“She was in love with you!” I hissed. “How could you let her leave with her heart broken?”

Something flashed in his eyes, something that looked like devastation. “I tried to reach her. She disappeared from everyone, including me.”

I glared. “Not everyone. Maxwell knew.”

“What?!” Bertrand turned to find Maxwell, who was trying to slink off. “Maxwell Percival Beaumont! Tell me this man is lying!”

"Maxwell actually had the heart to support her, which is more than you ever did!"

Bertrand gaped. “How?”

“You know my 'excessive spending habits'? Well, I'd send most of it to her."

"I knew it! You didn't really purchase a dozen peacocks!"

I blinked. Why would anyone ever buy twelve peacocks? 

"Well, the peacocks really did happen, but that was a one time thing. Everything else was made up. The jet skis, the expensive wines… I'd hide the cash in our study until it was time to send it off." Maxwell explained.

"Now you know where that extra money was going." I glared at Bertrand.

He had the good sense to step back, worry filling his eyes. "I didn't know she was in distress… what happened?"

"I don't know, maybe she needed help raising your kid!" I yelled.

Bertrand stepped back, as if he’d been slapped. "A… a child…? When did…? Savannah was pregnant? I didn't know! You have to believe me, I didn't know!"

"Savannah told me you have her a nice long speech about how you two could never be together!"

"You don't understand…" Bertrand shook his head, "The last time I saw her… What I said… She misunderstood."

"You broke my sister's heart!" I grabbed his collar. "You nobles think you can just play with us commoners and throw us away when you're done! Well this time you're going to have to answer for it!" I cocked my fist, already aiming for his face, when…

"Stop!" Maxwell jumped in front of Bertrand. 

"Out of the way,” I growled. 

I felt a familiar hand clamp down on my arm. “That’s enough. All of you out,” Bastien snapped.

Bertrand glared at me as he pulled loose. "Thank you, Bastien. It's about time you restored order around here."

Bastien narrowed his eyes at him. "Including you."

"What? I've done nothing wrong!"

"This incident has already caused enough of a disturbance. Do you really need to embarrass yourself further in front of half the court?"

"I… No. Come, Maxwell. We're leaving."

"I'll, uh… catch up with you later." Maxwell said, slinking off after his brother.

I walked outside, not even knowing where I was going. I stopped when I realized that Zane had slipped out at some point during the whole confrontation. I took out my phone to call her, but hesitated; we were supposed to be careful. But after standing for a few moments feeling completely adrift, I typed out a text and hit send.

Where did you go?

After a minute or two, I saw that she was typing a response. Omw to La Fontaine de Belleville, 31-33 Rue Juliette Dodu, 75010

I took that as a sign that she was okay with me finding her, so I looked up the directions and headed that way.

“I took the liberty of ordering for you,” she nodded toward the plates that the server set in front of us. “And there’s not much more comforting than a croque monsieur.”

“No arguments here,” I said as we dug in, “but I sense there’s a story.”

“I dated a chef for a while,” she explained between bites. “She was passionate about cooking, but she also appreciated simple food, which was rather fortunate for me, as my cooking skills are extremely basic. I used to make things like this for her whenever she needed some cheering up.”

“She was lucky to date someone like you.” I could feel my face heat up, but Zane didn’t comment or smirk. She just gave me a small smile before taking another bite.

“I’m sorry I lost my cool back there,” I said.

“It’s understandable,” she said quietly.

“I was expecting more of a reprimand.”

“I’m trying to be more understanding.” She glanced around the restaurant. “There’s something I need to talk over with you, but it needs to be somewhere less crowded.”

“Okay. I think I know a good place. Once we settle the bill I can take you over there.”

I took her to the pool room at the hotel I’d been frequenting. Zane was playing like a complete noob, and I couldn’t tell if she was really that inexperienced, or if it was because something was on her mind. “Zane, what did you want to talk about?”

“Drake...Bastien is the head of the King’s Guard, right?”

“Yeah…” I frowned. “What does that have to do with anything?” My eyes widened as I realized what she was getting at. “There’s a very short list of people he’d feel compelled to obey.”

*****

“But even figuring that out...she was scared, but she also seemed to become more resolved. It was like...she’d uncovered this vital clue, and she was committed to seeing it through.” 

“But…” Porter prodded.

“But then she disappeared. Flew home to attend her foster father’s funeral. She had texted Maxwell and Hana that she would meet up with us in Shanghai, but I’m pretty sure we were all worried about the same thing.”

“That she wouldn’t come back?”

“Yeah. I mean, she’d practically solved the mystery, but who could blame her if she decided to hell with it all, you know? Also…” I paused, trying to gather my thoughts. “She kept playing with fire. Zane is pretty blunt.”

“A very American trait.”

“Yeah, but she knows how to reign it in, knows when to play the game. But she didn’t always play the polite noblewoman, and even less so after the whole scandal broke. Just about drove Bertrand and….” I sneered at the thought of Anton, “ ‘Justin’ crazy a few times-” I stopped, and I could feel my eyes widen a little.

Porter frowned. “What is it Drake?”

“I think she was thinking about leaving Cordonia behind constantly. Not just in moments when the frustration of it all got to her, but, like, maybe every single day of the Engagement Tour.” I narrowed my eyes. It was important, but why? I suddenly sat up straighter in my chair. “I don’t know, but...maybe it means that...we can take her motives at face value?” I was reaching; I wanted it to be true. But I kept my eyes trained on Porter. His expression didn’t give anything away.

“She did meet up with you in Shanghai, as she said she would.” He clicked his pen, poised to write more notes. “What happened next?


	3. Chapter 3

The last few days in Europe went by in a kind of fog. Zane’s absence was almost tangible, and the radio silence was torturous. 

By the time we were checking into a hotel in Shanghai, we were on edge. Things were still tense between Maxwell and me, the Tour was in it’s final days, and there was still no word from Zane.

I was trying to decide if the towering bamboo was having a soothing effect or if it was making everything seem surreal when I heard Maxwell gasp. “Riley!”

I turned to see Zane strolling up casually, as if she’d only been gone a few minutes. She was dressed in a pinstripe suit that looked as if it’d been tailored to her, and, in spite of her calm demeanor, I got the sense that she was ready to kick ass and take names.

“Is everything okay?” Hana asked in a low voice after she released Zane from a hug.

“Yeah. I’m sorry about the lack of communication; my foster father died and I had to rush home for the funeral. After that it was kind of a mad dash to get things sorted so I could get here, and between figuring out time zones and SIM cards, well…” she trailed off and shrugged.

“Are you okay Riley? Are you sure you’re ready to be back?”

“I’m fine. Walter and I weren’t terribly close, but he always did right by me, as much as he was able, anyway.” She craned her neck around. “This place is incredible Hana.”

“I think this place would make even Bertrand feel chill.”

“Where is he anyway? I thought he’d be on the plane with you,” Hana commented, looking around.

“The last time I saw him was at Liam’s bachelor party,” Maxwell explained with a shrug. “He texted me to say he was going to talk to Savannah, but since then… radio silence.”

“Really? I’m proud of him,” Riley said. “It must’ve been hard to hear all of that at once. They probably have a lot to talk about.”

I bristled. “If he hurts her again…”

“I don’t think he will. I think he went there to apologize,” Maxwell said softly.

“Right,” I scowled,, “because you’re such a great judge of—”

“Dad!” Hana interrupted cheerfully. A man in a suit walked up to her and embraced her.

“Everyone, this is my father, Xinghai Lee,” Hana made the introductions as she pulled away from their embrace. Zane proceeded to charm the hell out of him, and it was fascinating to see his reservations kind of melt away. We then moved up the path, where we saw Liam inside an enclosure playing with two panda cubs.

“I think I’m dead,” Maxwell sighed. “The plane must have crashed on the way here, and I’m in heaven. Panda heaven.”

“Remarkable, aren’t they?” Xinghai said, smiling.

Hana nodded, turning to her father eagerly. “They’re adorable! Can we go inside too, father? Please?”

“Hmmm.” He considered this for a moment, looking into the enclosure. “Ordinarily, the staff doesn’t allow many visitors. They made an exception for King Liam, but… I might be able to convince them to make another exception.”

“Woohoo!” Maxwell cheered.

Maxwell and Hana’s enthusiasm was infectious. I turned to Zane. “I’m in if you are Zane.” 

Zane just gave a soft smile. “I’m going to stay put here, but don’t let me stop the rest of you.”

“Very well,” Mr. Lee said. “Let me speak with their keepers.” Xinghai moved to confer with a pair of khaki-clad staff members. A minute later, he returned to the group, smiling. “You can all join King Liam and the cubs.”

Maxwell and Hana practically bounced into the enclosure, and I turned back to Zane. “You sure you don’t want to?”

“I’m sure,” she said, calmly admiring the cubs from a distance. There was something off about her, but I didn’t know if it was the fact that she’d just buried her foster father, jet lag, or if the stress of the Tour and everything she’d discovered was catching up to her. I wanted to put an arm around her or do something reassuring, but I didn’t think she’d want that, so I just stood next to her and watched Liam, Maxwell, and Hana enjoy their time with the cubs.

Liam’s eyes widened as he glanced over at us and saw that Zane had returned. She gave him a polite smile and he slipped back into King mode.

Things were humming along, seemingly having returned to what had been passing for calm and normal during the Tour, until dinner that night. Zane and Liam had disappeared to talk to Constantine, but never returned. When Regina and the King’s Guard disappeared as well, we were right back into a near-panic mode, looking at each other wide-eyed across the table.

Dinner ended, with no word as to what was going on, and we had no choice but to return to the hotel and wait.

Zane finally walked into the lobby, looking completely drained. She stopped in her tracks at the sight of us. “Nobody’s told you anything, have they?” she asked as she raked her eyes over all of us. “Let’s go up to my room; I’ll explain everything.”

We all clustered in her room and she took a few moments to do some sort of sweep, of the place. 

“Zane you’re making me nervous as hell,” I couldn’t help but chime in.

“Constantine has an aggressive form of lung cancer,” she began as she sat on the bed next to Hana. “He doesn’t have much time. It’s why he abdicated during the social season, and why he took steps to ensure that Liam would choose Madeleine.” Her eyes rested on Olivia. “He thought it was the only way to ensure stability and protection from Cordonia’s enemies. With the exception of his family and the King’s Guard, no one knows. Well, besides us, now.”

Olivia fumed. "How dare him. If it weren't for him, I could have… I could have…" Her face fell, her shoulders slumping. "I guess it doesn't matter now. He's dying. Liam must be heartbroken."

“That’s...that’s a lot to take in Zane.”

Hana squeezed her hand. “At least you know now why Constantine did this to you.”

“To both of us,” Olivia snapped.

“Yeah,” Zane shrugged. “That’s politics.”

I could feel my eyebrows climbing upwards. “Seriously? You’re just going to let him off the hook?”

“He can’t come forward with the truth. It would cause Cordonians to lose faith in their rulers, both himself and Liam.” She shrugged again. “There’s nothing for it. If he did, Liam would be the one to have to deal with that mess, and it’s not his fault.” She smirked, but it was without humor. “The sins of the father being visited on the sons.” She stood and walked over to the window, looking out at the city. She turned back to us. “Liam has ordered him to back off, and now we either find Tariq and clear my name, or I hang up my cleats and go home. Shake the dust from my feet and all that. Either way, I’m free from this.”

An awkward silence descended on the room, with Zane having basically just stated that she was willing to walk away from Cordonia forever if things didn’t work out. Hana broke the silence with an idea to head out to the market, which turned out to be the distraction that we all needed.

The next time I talked to Zane was on the plane back to New York. Maxwell and Hana had drifted off, but my mind was racing.

“Hey,” Zane settled next to me and handed me some water. “If you don’t want to talk, I’m not going to make you, but I’m here if you’re willing.”

I took a sip of water. “This would be better if there was whiskey in it.”

“Stay hydrated,” she replied before taking a drink of her tomato juice.

We sat in silence for some time, and Zane was true to her promise. But I finally figured it was better to rip the bandage off. “What are you going to do if we don’t find Tariq?”

“Well, I have a couple of months left before I’m too old to go to the Police Academy in New York. Or I can move to somewhere else in the country that has less stringent age requirements. Or use that Ivy League graduate degree in some other manner. Or I could go out to my former fiance slash sugar daddy’s farm in Nebraska and bide some time while I think of something else. He’s married now, but he’s a mensh, so that would be okay for a bit. Rashad offered to marry me, since he wants to marry someone who can run Domvallier after he inherits it, so I could stay in Cordonia and become a career politician…”

“Zane. Stop.” I held up my hand. “There are...so many things to unpack there.”

“Well, we have several hours left of this flight. I’d be happy to explain them.”

“I guess what I’m really asking is…” I didn’t know how to phrase my question without it sounding like an accusation.

“How I can just abandon my friends and allow Liam to enter into a loveless marriage?” She looked at me calmly.

I sighed. “I guess, to an extent, yes, that is what I am asking. None of us wants to see you go.”

She looked down at her cup, swirling the remains of her juice. “I don’t want to leave you guys. And I want Liam to have a choice in who he wants to marry.” She looked back at me. “I’ll do everything I can to find Tariq.”

I felt such a sense of relief at her words that I didn’t pick up on the fact that she hadn’t definitively said she was going to come back to Cordonia.

******

“What is it?” Porter looked at me patiently.

“I...I guess, maybe, she was avoiding making any promises?” I put my head in my hands. “I don’t know what it means. I want it to mean that she was trying to do the right thing.” I looked up. “The shopping trip. It put things into perspective for her.”

*******

“What are you doing here?” Zane furrowed her eyebrows, examining me.

“It’s a store. Anyone can go into a store.”

“Sure, but you’re the last person I expected to see looking at necklaces that require a down payment.”

I sighed. “Alright, you caught me. I’m looking for a wedding gift for Liam.”

“In a jewelry store?”

“Yeah,” I gestured toward a gold, gem-encrusted medallion. “Don’t you think Liam would like something like that?”

“Um...Liam isn’t a pirate. Though that is an excellent mental image. And I don’t think he’d want you to break the bank.”

“No, you’re right… So, did you come down here to shoot down my gift ideas, or are you looking for something?”

“I’m supposed to pick up Madeleine’s wedding ring.”

My eyes widened. “Wow. That’s cold, even for her.”

“I don’t know if I’m embarrassed for her that she’s behaving like a child, or if I just think it’s hilarious.”

“You’re not bothered?”

“No. Clearly, as is the case with most bullies, she’s simply insecure.”

I scowled. “It’s still low, the way she uses your name being dragged through the mud like this.”

She paused, as if gathering her thoughts. “Reputation is an idle and most false imposition, oft got without merit and lost without deserving.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Good point, but isn’t Iago the most two-faced character in literature?”

She grinned. “Yeah, but I’m a politican, remember?” She leaned in closer to me and lowered her voice. “She’s probably also hitting back. She proposed that I be Liam’s sidepiece when we were in Fydelia and I told her I’d rather fuck her.”

My jaw dropped for a second, before I self-consciously closed it. “Did you really Zane?”

“Well, not in that explicit of a manner, but yeah.” She shrugged. “I’m not generally into blondes, but you have to admit, she’s gorgeous.”

I was processing this as Zane stepped up to the counter and asked for Madeleine’s ring. I looked at the surprisingly simple band and frowned. “I was expecting something more…”

“Elaborate?”

“Pretentious.”

“Madeleine has great style; she’d never pick something gaudy.”

“If you say so.” I sighed. “If you’re done here, do you want to give me a hand with Liam’s gift? He’s my best friend. I want to get him something good, but I think I’m in over my head here.”

“Sure. Let’s hit a Starbucks and strategize.” She led me out of the store. I frowned as I walked in step with her. “Why do we need to strategize? It’s just...shopping.”

“Shopping, as in wandering aimlessly in and out of stores, is a violation of the Geneva Conventions. I know because one of my degrees is in history.”

“Yeah, I don’t have any degrees, but I’m pretty sure that’s incorrect.”

She took my arm and gently steered me in the direction of Starbucks. “If you’re lost in the woods, you don’t just wander around hoping for rescue. You find a water source, a river preferably, so you can follow it and find your way back to civilization. So we need to figure out what we’re looking for. Liam is a bit tricky; he’s rich, so he doesn’t need or want for anything material, but he shows his love by giving thoughtful gifts.”

“Damn Zane. That’s spot on. I insist on buying your overpriced coffee or tea for that.”

“Thank you.” We made our way through the line and back out onto the street. “Now,” she continued after sipping her drink, “first let’s list things that Liam likes.”

“Dogs, history, political science, books.”

“It’s impractical to get a dog right now, and books aren’t unique enough. So….if we’re going for the history angle...I think we should hit an antique store.”

“Can’t argue with you there.” We walked until we found an antique shop. We poked around among the various items until I stopped dead in my tracks. I hadn’t seen anything, but the things Zane had said, teasing me about Liam not being a pirate, then that thing about being lost in the woods, gave me an idea. I walked up to the proprietor of the shop. “Do you happen to have any compasses?”

It was perfect. Simple, but beautiful, with a needle that pointed true north.

“Did you find something?” Zane walked up to me and I showed my find to her.

“That is exquisite,” she reached out for it and cradled it in her hand. 

“Liam’s always had guards and royal staff around, so he’s never needed a compass. But they can’t always be there for him. Even I can’t always be there for him. If he’s ever out on his own, or if he feels he’s losing his way, I thought it might be a nice reminder.”

“I get the feeling you’re talking about more than just cardinal directions.”

“Constantine was a decent king for years, but by the time he retired, he’d lost sight of what really mattered. Look at everything he put you and Liam through. I don’t ever want that to happen to Liam. So I thought he could use a compass to follow. Something to remind him to stay true to what he believes in. What do you think? Too cheesy?”

She met my eyes. “Not at all. It’s perfect Drake.” She looked back down at it. “Damn Walker, you’ve given me a lot to think about.” She cleared her throat and handed it carefully back to me.

I paid for the compass and pocketed it. We stepped out into the sunlight and Zane linked her arm with mine. “And now we have earned ourselves burgers and beers. Let’s go.”


	4. Chapter 4

“I didn’t give the compass to Liam. Not for several months. I was too distracted at the wedding shower.”

“And why is that?” Porter was jotting down notes, but he still managed to give me most of his attention.

“Zane was missing. She had gone to Los Angeles with Bertrand to try to find Tariq.”

*****

“Hey,” I nudged Maxwell, who was freaking me out with how still he was. It wasn’t like him to not be bouncing on the balls of his feet. It also wasn’t like him to be sulking in a corner, and tonight he hadn’t caused any diplomatic squabbles, so there was little reason for him to be hiding. But I could hardly blame him; I wasn’t doing any better. I couldn’t even enjoy the very expensive free whiskey I was sipping. “Do you want a drink? Maybe something to eat.”

“I’m fine,” he said. He was very much not fine.

“Well, shouldn’t you be out mingling, representing House Beaumont while your brother is indisposed?”

Maxwell sneered. An actual sneer. It was so foreign to Maxwell that I almost flinched to see it. “House Beaumont is the reason for all of this mess. It’s the reason Riley got dragged through the mud and the reason she’s not going to come back if they don’t find Tariq.”

I gripped the glass in my hand, then forced myself to relax. “Maxwell, it’s not your fault. You didn’t take those photos, you didn’t set her up. You had no way of knowing this would happen.”

“You knew this would happen.” He looked at me, his eyes flashing. “You said she’d be eaten alive at Court. And you were talking about cutthroat suitors, not government conspiracies.”

“I was an idiot. I was all wrong. Zane is strong Maxwell. She’s the toughest person I’ve ever met in my life. And this? This doesn’t even rank near the top on the list of the worst things she’s been through.” I paused. “If she doesn’t come back...it’ll be because she chooses to. It won’t be because of you.”

All the anger seemed to go out of him, but it was as if he deflated; his shoulders slumped and his eyes lost their fire. “But if she stays…” he hesitated, “I don’t want her to stay for the wrong reasons.”

I looked down into my glass before meeting his eyes again. “If she stays, it’ll be because she chooses to. And I trust that, whatever that is, it’ll be for the right reasons.”

*****

“Did you think she would return to Cordonia?”

I sighed. “Honestly...no. I wanted her to, but I think, even though I didn’t want to admit it to myself, I thought that she would stay in New York. That she’d seen what Court was like and had figured that it wasn’t worth it to stay.” I paused. “But I wondered if Liam would convince her to be queen.”

“Even though he knew she didn’t return his feelings?”

I shrugged. “Liam’s a romantic, but he’s pragmatic as well. And Zane would still have been a better match than Madeleine. And I didn’t have a chance to talk to him in the following two days.”

“Let’s talk about that.” Porter clicked his pen and laid it on the table. “What happened the following morning?”

*******

It was mid-morning when Tariq’s statement was released. Zane and Bertrand had gotten back into New York as the wedding shower was in full swing, and had gone with Tariq and ‘Justin’ to film his statement. Maxwell immediately decided that a celebration was in order, though, looking back on it, I wonder if he was doing it as much to create a distraction. Because when we all congregated in Zane’s room, she didn’t look relieved or triumphant; she just looked exhausted.

“You don’t seem happy Riley.” Hana sat next to Zane on the sofa and put a tentative arm around her shoulders.

“I don’t really know what I feel right now.” Zane lay her head on Hana’s shoulder. “Besides empty. And uncertain.”

“Don’t you feel...I don’t know, liberated?” I was doing my usual; attempting to blend in with the wall as I tried to read the people around me. Zane reminded me of a candle that hadn’t melted down, but had been snuffed out.

Zane sighed. “You can open up the cage, but if you don’t know where to go, it doesn’t feel like freedom.”

There was an uncomfortable silence before Maxwell chimed in. “I know exactly where you should go.” He paused dramatically for effect. “Coney Island.”

I wondered if Zane was going to shoot it down, but she looked at him and just smiled fondly. “Alright Maxwell, we can go to Coney Island.”

It was a good day. There wasn’t a single reminder about Courtly intrigue and everyone, even Liam, seemed to relax. Still, there was a certain weight that kind of hovered that no one really wanted to address, probably because we all needed the distraction.

That night I slept better than I had in months, waking up much later than I normally would. Knowing that Liam would be stuck in meetings all day, I texted Zane, Maxwell, and Hana, who was the only one who replied. Do you mind if I come to your room?

No problem, I replied. Just give me half an hour to get ready.

Thirty-three minutes later I answered the knock on my door. Hana greeted me with a soft smile. “Drake, would you like to go out today?”

“Sure.” Hana had a particularly calming presence, and she was always easy to be around. “As long as our first stop is somewhere with food,” I added as I felt my stomach rumble.

“Of course,” Hana pulled out her phone. “Riley has charts dedicated to the best places in the city. She took me out for Italian food the other night, and there are several others as well.”

I couldn’t help but grin. I would have been happy to just wander around and pick a place at random, but I wasn’t about to put a damper on Hana’s enthusiasm. After a few minutes, she chose from the list she had open on her phone and we found ourselves at a deli. The food was good and hearty, but it made me think of eating croque monsieurs in Paris with Zane, and I couldn’t help but think about how she was going to have to choose if she was going to stay or return to Cordonia with us.

“Drake?”

“Huh? Sorry Hana, I guess I spaced out for a moment.”

She looked as if she was trying to decide if she should ask me something. “What is it Hana?”

“Liam apparently went to Riley’s room this morning. He cleared his schedule so he could meet with her tonight.” Her eyes didn’t betray anything.

I felt this kind of cold prickle on the back of my neck. I couldn’t tell you what it was, whether it was a sense of dread or fear or just confusion. What was Liam’s plan? Riley had told him she didn’t have feelings for him, but if he wasn’t planning to ask her to marry him, why would he ask her to meet up? And what was I more afraid of? That he would ask and she might say yes? Or that she would choose to stay in New York? And that led to the question that I really didn’t want to think about: was I still harboring hope that her feelings would change? I didn’t want my friendship with either Liam or Zane to suffer because of a torch I couldn’t extinguish.

“Are you okay?”

I focused back on Hana. Her brow was creased, a worried expression on her face. I was about to respond, but then I thought back to Shanghai, how Hana had had that fight with her dad, how Hana and Zane had basically become best friends, and I realized I wasn’t exactly alone in my worries. “I’m okay. Are you going to be okay?”

She exhaled, kind of shakily. “I’m worried. I have a taste of what it’s like to not be lonely now, and...I don’t want to lose that.”

“Hey,” I reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. Her eyes were so sad in that moment that I could have sworn that someone had reached into my chest and clenched. “Even if Zane doesn’t go back to Cordonia, you’ve still got us. Me, and Maxwell, and Liam.”

She managed a smile. “Thank you Drake.” She paused, biting her lip. “Can I tell you something?”

“Yeah, of course.” 

“Riley and I...we were-seeing one another. Not until after Liam was engaged to Madeleine, of course. But then we were in Shanghai, and I told my dad that I wasn’t interested in Neville, and I realized...it was exciting to be with Riley, to have... the possibility of being with someone I wanted to be with, but what I really needed was friendship. I’m not ready for anything else because I’ve spent my whole life being prepared for marriage, but I never had the room to really know-or decide, who I want to be.” She sighed. “And Drake, Riley has been so understanding and encouraging. I just really don’t want to see her leave Cordonia.” She paused, for a moment looking like she was near tears. 

“I know how you feel.” It was all I could think to say, still a little shocked that Zane and Hana had flown under the radar. But I guess being open about itwould have complicated things for both of them.

“Let’s try to just...enjoy today,” I said. “There’s nothing we can do right now about Zane, and even if we could, we’d need to stay out of it, give her space to figure things out.”

Hana seemed bolstered by that. “You’re right.” She nodded her head, decisively. “There’s no sense in wasting the day.”

We spent the rest of the day wandering, or wandering as much as Hana would allow, so wandering with a sense of purpose and direction. She wanted to go to more tourist sites than I would have chosen, but it was hard to say no to such a sweet person, and it was easy to hang out with her; she knew when I needed to take a break from the crowds and the schedule.

The afternoon was gone before we knew it, and we decided to return to the hotel in an attempt to find Maxwell. When he opened the door to his room, I stepped back reflexively. His eyes were red and puffy, his mouth down-turned, his shoulders slumped. It was a look that I’d seen on Maxwell before, but only when things were bad, a look that I never wanted to see, even when I’d felt completely betrayed by him.

“Maxwell?” Hana held out her arms, tentatively, and he pulled her into his, burying his face momentarily in her shoulder, before pulling back and ushering us into his room.

“Bertrand knows,” he said simply after I’d closed the door and we had settled on the couch and chairs. “We were in the boutique, and he wanted Riley to get a dress before meeting Liam. She kissed me and told me she’d text me.” His expression shifted momentarily, a hint of a smile and a blush crossing his face before the troubled look returned. “Bertrand was furious, accusing me of putting Riley before him.”

My surprise at learning about Zane and Maxwell being together dissipated as I felt my fists clench. I often felt kind of sorry for Bertrand, considering the enormous pressures on him, but my sympathy was dashed when he seemed determined to prove that he didn’t deserve the people who loved him. “It’s not a zero-sum game Maxwell, and if your brother can’t see that, then he’s the one at fault.”

Hana looked up at me, a soft smile on her face, her eyes shining with gratitude and what seemed to be admiration. Somehow, it made me feel as if a weight was leaving my shoulders. 

“Drake is right Maxwell.” Hana had her arm around Maxwell’s shoulders and she pulled him a little closer to her. “Riley deserves better than to…” she paused, scrunching her nose in thought.

“Than to be saddled with all of House Beaumont’s problems?” I said.

“Yes,” she nodded. “And so do you Maxwell.”

Maxwell smiled a little at that, seeming to relax. “Thanks,” he said softly. “She told me she loved me. I can hardly believe it. She could have anyone she wants, and she’s going for the spare.”

“Maxwell Beaumont, you are not a spare anything!” I had to bite my lip to keep from chuckling at Hana’s indignant expression; she was kind of adorable. 

Maxwell managed a laugh. “Okay, okay. But you can’t blame me for being surprised.” He gave her a pointed look. “I mean, she went from you to me…”

“That only goes to show that she has amazing taste,” Hana grinned. “It was a lateral move.”

Maxwell blushed a little and finally cracked a real smile. Hana suggested room service, and we settled in for the evening, watching television and relaxing, until Maxwell’s phone buzzed and he looked down at it, his eyes widening. “It’s Riley. She wants to meet me on the roof.” He jumped to his feet, suddenly recognizable. He nervously checked himself out in the mirror. “You don’t think she wants to throw me off the roof does she?”

I frowned. “Why would Zane want to throw you off the roof?”

“You’ve threatened to throw me out no fewer than twenty-eight windows,” he replied as he smoothed his shirt. 

“Yeah, that’s me,” I replied. “Zane is in love with you, apparently.” And then, because I figured he needed something to bolster his self-esteem, “I am not, but if I had the energy levels to keep up with you, and I didn’t have Zane as competition, and if I were, you know, into other guys, and, I guess really lucky, I’d fall for you.”

Maxwell looked suddenly as if I’d given him an entire litter of puppies and a disco for his birthday. “Aw, Buddy. Bring it in.” He held out his arms, I gave a put-upon sigh, and we hugged it out, Hana attempting to suppress her laughter. Maxwell pulled away and headed out, a spring back in his step.

I caught Hana’s eye after the door closed. “Did you know? That Zane and Maxwell were heading in that direction?”

“She told me they had talked at the UN party.” She paused, seeming to gather her thoughts. “I’ve wondered if she had feelings for him since we were in Italy, although I don’t think she knew she was developing feelings for him.”

“What tipped you off in Italy?”

Hana giggled. “Penelope asked Riley if she thought Maxwell might be interested in a match.”

“Oh god.” I imagined an estate of squids and poodles, and that was the best case scenario. Even Maxwell would probably go crazy eventually

“Indeed. Riley was...uncharasterically undiplomatic. She told Penelope that she thought Maxwell would sooner marry one of Penelope’s poodles. I think she surprised even herself. I thought Riley was just being protective of Maxwell at first, but in hindsight, I think she was jealous.”

My eyes widened. “And then there was the camping trip.” Zane had exited Maxwell’s tent as if there was nothing unusual about it...and then proceeded to tease and cuddle Hana, which I now realized was flirtatious in nature. Hmm...it seemed that Zane had a type. “Wait. Hana, you didn’t...end things with Riley because you thought she wanted to be with Maxwell, did you?”

Hana smiled softly. “No. I spent a lot of time, after I fought with my father that day, thinking about what I need right now in my life. That was what drove my decision.” She gave me an appraising look. “Are you okay? This is a lot to take in right now.”

“Yeah, yeah it is.” It then occurred to me that if Zane had returned to the hotel, then Liam also had returned. “I need to go see Liam.”

Her eyes widened. “Of course.” She looked around. “Also, it’s a bit odd that we’re standing in Maxwell’s room when he’s not even here.” 

I made my way to Liam’s room, not entirely certain of what state he would be in.

“Drake.” He smiled as he opened the door wider. “Please, come in.” He headed over to the mini-bar. “The usual?”

“Sure.” I watched him pour scotch for both of us. “So…”

He handed one of the glasses to me and gestured for me to sit on the sofa. “I’m glad to see you. We haven’t had a chance to talk in days.”

His eyes didn’t betray anything. I knew that could change in an instant; Liam couldn’t hide much from me, unless he really wanted to. But his posture was relaxed and he wasn’t on his guard; it would be easy enough to crack the ice. And Zane surely would have told him what was going on between her and Maxwell, wouldn’t she?

“What happened tonight?” 

“I asked Riley to meet me so we could go to the Statue of Liberty again.” He paused and took a sip. “And so I could offer her a duchy.”

I blinked. “Zane is going to be a duchess?”

“Yes, she accepted my offer.”

“And…”

“And then we went for pizza.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes. Riley has spreadsheets and graphs detailing the strengths and weaknesses of various pizza restaurants. She’s very thorough.”

I groaned. “Liam. Did you-are you...not engaged?”

He looked at me and it struck me at how much more...at peace he looked, and to an extent that I hadn’t seen since before Leo abdicated. There was a certain wistfulness to him, but the worry wasn’t there. “I did decide to break things off with Madeleine, yes. Not because I wasn’t confident in her ability to rule, but to exploit a loophole in the law. Maybe that’s selfish.” He looked into his glass. “But I saw the chance to marry on my own terms. And I saw the chance to make things right, to ensure that whoever I marry will become queen because she’s right for the role and because she’s an excellent match, rather than because of someone’s plotting.”


	5. Chapter 5

I looked at the notepad that was sitting in front of Porter. He had underlined two things, though I couldn’t make out what they were. “Two things stand out to me.” When I made eye contact with him, he was smiling slightly, as if he knew I was trying to read what he’d written. “The first is that all four of you had feelings for Riley during this time.”

“Yeah.” I crossed my arms and leaned back. 

“Why do you think that happened?”

I peered at him, but his expression wasn’t giving anything away. “Zane is pretty hard not to fall for.”

“And why was it easy to fall for her?”

“Look, Doc, I don’t know what you’re trying to accomplish here.”

“I’m trying to determine if Riley meant for this to happen.”

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. “That...I don’t know. I mean, looking the way she looks….what?”

He was giving me a look that clearly said he was unimpressed. “Riley Zane is very pretty. She is a very pretty woman among thousands of pretty women in the world, but she would not stand out, say, in a room of women auditioning for a role in a movie. And even if she could, that would not explain why all four of you were attracted to her beyond the surface.”

“So you want me to tell you why each of us fell for her?”

“As much as you are able to, yes.”

I pressed my hands to the tops of my thighs. “Well, Zane and Maxwell just click somehow. I couldn’t explain why, but they do. Maybe...maybe it’s that they both accept the other without expecting the other to change. Liam thinks she’s brilliant. And she is; you don’t spend a lot of time around Zane without picking up how sharp she is. And I think that was attractive to all of us. With Hana, I think Zane was just accepting of her, she listened to her, she didn’t ask for more than Hana was comfortable offering.” I paused, then exhaled. “Now me, I wanted to dislike her from the start.”

“And why was that?”

“I thought she would break Liam’s heart. She basically admitted she was a crown chaser.”

******

“Riley’s not some crown chaser.”

“Actually, I am.”

“Really.” I scowled. Unbelievable.

“I love politics, and I never thought I’d marry for love.”

Maxwell’s face fell. “But…”

“I’m sure Liam knows the score. He can’t possibly be expecting to fall head over heels for a woman who’s competing for him.”

“But last night….you guys seemed like you had a connection.” Maxwell was chewing his lower lip nervously.

“Falling for him isn’t out of the question. But I definitely think we could be friends, and I’m confident that we would work well together, and would it be so terrible if he married someone who was a great friend and work partner?”

I wanted to squirm in my seat. I’d started the flight dreading Riley’s introduction to Court because I figured she’d be chewed up and spat out, but now I wondered if I was dealing with a snake. And maybe she wasn’t that bad; maybe she just hadn’t realized that Liam was the kind of guy who would jump at the chance to be with a woman who really cared for him.

“I guess when you put it that way…” Maxwell’s smile returned. “But you felt a spark last night, right?”

“There was definitely something,” Riley said, offering him a smile.

“You sound like a politician,” I narrowed my eyes at her.

“Would you rather I was some naive woman who believed in love at first sight?”

“I would know what I was dealing with, at least.”

*****

“And when did things begin to change? You said earlier that she reminded you of a baby deer, and then a coyote.” He paused. “It sounds as if what was really going on was that you couldn’t figure her out, and perhaps that was what bothered you.”

I felt myself stiffen, and I crossed my arms over my chest. But the thing was, he was right. I relaxed, uncrossing my arms and lacing my fingers behind my head. “Well...Liam was so happy she was there, and he’s a pretty good judge of character. I figured, well, that he knew that his marriage was going to be political, and Zane certainly wasn’t the worst choice.” I smirked. “And she could handle Olivia Nevrakis.” Thinking about Olivia made me think about that trip to Lythikos. 

******

“I'd hardly call what’s going on around here skiing. But I'm looking to change that. How about a race?”

She raised an eyebrow. “And what makes you think I can ski?”

“Maybe I'm starting to have faith in you, Zane. Regardless… I'm going to start skiing down this slope, and if I get to the bottom before you… well, let's just say I'm calling that a win, and I might never let you hear the end of it.” I got into position and… “Ready… set… don't wipe out!”

I took off, with Zane nearly on my heels. “Watch out!” I yelled over my shoulder as I swerved around a fallen branch. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zane jump right over it. 

“Damn. Nice moves Zane,” I nodded to her as I came to a stop, expecting her to flash me a triumphant smile, or crow over her victory. But her eyes were just larger than usual. “You okay?”

“I feel like I swallowed an entire colony of bees,” she said. “Which is not awful, as adrenaline is my drug of choice, but that was mildly terrifying, as skiing is a good way to break a femur.”

“Well…” I inclined my head toward the scenery. “Take in that view; maybe it’ll calm you down.”

She looked around, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “It’s gorgeous.”

“Is it nice to be away from the concrete jungle?”

“Definitely,” she said. 

“Yeah, this trip hasn’t been half bad. Shame that tomorrow it’s back to waltzing and bowing and all that.”

She shrugged. “I like dancing more than I like skiing.”

“So you feel ready for the Cordonian Waltz?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Is that different from the other waltzes?”

“Seriously? Maxwell didn’t teach you?”

“He did not. How different can it be?”

“Uh...all the suitors are expected to dance the Cordonian Waltz in front of everyone, and it’s pretty complicated.”

She pursed her lips. “Well, I’m sure I could get Maxwell to slow his roll long enough to teach me.”

“Yeah, or you could ask Hana. If there’s anyone who knows everything backwards and forwards, it’s that one.”

We were interrupted by Olivia, who directed everyone back to her lodge, and we trudged up the hill.

Once inside, Zane, Maxwell, Hana and I were sitting around, relaxing and sipping hot chocolate, when we were interrupted by Olivia, who eyed us like a vulture circling a carcass. It didn’t take long for her to swoop in.

“Did you see that we have eclairs, Drake? They always remind me of dear, darling, little Savannah. She'd gobble them down like a sow at the trough.”

I narrowed my eyes. Don't talk about my sister.”

“Why ever not? She was such a fixture at court, then she just up and disappeared. You never told us what happened, and usually gossip is quick to spread.”

“She left because of people like you.”

“She always was the sensitive sort.” She smiled, but there was no warmth in it. Oh, well. Ladies like that don't last here at court.” She looked at Zane, who met her gaze with a perfect poker face.

I stood. “I’ve just remembered I have somewhere I need to be.” I walked off, trying to keep my fists from clenching, but couldn’t keep myself from gritting my teeth as I heard Olivia call out to me. “Wait, Drake, dear! Come back! I wasn't finished with you!”

“Tell me about Drake’s sister,” Zane asked, but I was already at the door before I could hear Olivia’s response.

The cold air did little to calm me down, and I tried to focus on the sound of my feet crunching through the snow. I made it to a clearing and tried to focus on my breathing. My chest hurt, either from the cold air or from trying not to cry. I had finally calmed myself down when I heard the snap of a branch and the crunching of someone else walking through the snow. “Who’s there?” I yelled, whirling around and squinting in the dusk.

“It’s just me,” Zane took a few steps closer to me. 

“Riley…what are you doing out here?”

“Well, I saw you wandering off towards the woods with a storm coming…” she paused, “and I wanted to see if you were okay.”

“No offense, but you’re the last person I need looking out for me.” My tone was sharper than I had intended, but Zane just shrugged, unfazed.

“I didn’t say you needed me to check on you, I said that I wanted to check on you. If you would prefer that I leave you alone, I’ll be happy to return to the indoors, where it’s warm.”

I couldn’t help but smile at that. And I remembered what she’d said earlier, about being happy to be away from the concrete jungle. “You could do that, or you could look up.”

She gave me a questioning look, then tilted her head back. “Wow,” she smiled. “Good call.”

It was easy, then, to tell her about Savannah, easy to let my resolve slip away. She had surprised me, and she kept surprising me, like the way she’d used theatrics to score us some food at dinner that night, or the way she kept her expression completely neutral when Olivia laid a kiss on Liam. 

Maybe she would fit into the viper pit just fine, I mused as I sat alone in Olivia’s wine cellar later that night. I had just finished my first couple of fingers of whiskey when I heard the door to the cellar open and watched as Zane carefully made her way down the stairs.

“There you are, Zane. I was beginning to think you didn't have the guts to show. Y'know, breaking the rules, out after curfew and all that.”

She had changed out of her silver evening gown and was wearing a pair of track pants and a sweatshirt. She smelled a little like chlorine, but I was struck by how happy I was to see her outside of her role as one of Liam’s suitors. “I’ll turn twenty-nine the day after Christmas,” she said. “So I figure I’m old enough to stay up a bit past my bedtime. And I have faith that you have good enough taste in whiskey that it’ll be worth breaking the rules.”

“I could share my whiskey with you,” I said. “Or we could crack open something from Olivia’s very extensive and expensive collection, if you’re not afraid of her, that is.”

She glanced around at the bottles. “I wouldn’t mind being spanked by a gorgeous redhead, but it feels like a whiskey night to me.”

I grinned as I poured her a glass, and we sat in companionable silence for a few minutes. She looked around at rows and rows of wine bottles. “You choose some interesting places to hang out,” she said.

“Well, I come down here to get some commoner time to myself where I don’t have to bow or kiss hands for a few minutes.”

“If you hate the nobility so much, why do you stick around?”

“It must seem ridiculous to you.”

“To be honest, I don't understand why you put yourself through it.”

I told her about my need to look out for Liam, and about how Bastien and I had bought back the pictures before they hit the tabloids. She took it all in, sipping whiskey and looking thoughtful. 

“And you have no idea who would do this?”

“Not really. There are a lot of people who could be desperate for those photos… I just… really hope it wasn't one of the guys. The pictures they had… Those would've been hard to take unless that person was someone close to us…”

“Drake… I'll watch out.”

“Good.” I swirled the last of my whiskey in my glass. “Money and power make people do crazy things, Zane. I just don't want to see you get hurt because of it.”

She raised an eyebrow at me. “You really think this is news to me?”

“I mean, sometimes I look at you and I see this wide eyed baby deer who just stumbled into the hunter's campsite.”

She smirked. “What do you know about me Drake?”

That brought me up short. “Uh...you’re a waitress. You’re from New York…” I trailed off, thinking about what I knew, and what I could maybe string together from observations. “You have a sweet tooth.”

“Two of those are correct,” she stated, taking a sip of whiskey.

I narrowed my eyes, pursing my lips. “We only went for pastries the other night because you wanted to spend time with Liam?”

“I do have a sweet tooth. I’ve only lived in New York for a few years.”

“I’d say that still counts as being from New York.”

She smiled. “Touche.” She took another sip of whiskey, then smirked. “Let’s continue. You keep making guesses, and I’ll tell you if you’re right.”

I rolled my eyes. “I came down here for some peace and quiet, Zane.”

She shrugged. “Understandable.” She finished off her glass and stood. “Good night then.”

“Hey, wait.” I held up my hand. “Stay. I’ll...play your little game, but you have to give me hints.”

“Alright.” She sat back down. “Okay, the first hint I’ll give is that you can tell more about me by looking at me.”

I leaned back a little, taking her in. I examined her olive skin tone, brown eyes, long dark hair, and high cheekbones. I glanced at the hoodie she wore. “You’re from the western United States, but you went to university in New York.”

“Impressive.” She stretched her legs in front of her. “Keep going.”

I topped off my glass and held the bottle out to her. She waved it away. “Okay,” I said. “If you went to Columbia, then you either had the grades to get in for free, or you come from money.”

“I had the grades to get accepted to Columbia for graduate school. I do not come from money.”

I raised an eyebrow. I was starting to feel the whiskey, and I took smaller sips. “So...where did you get your Bachelor’s, how did you pay for grad school, and why were you waiting tables?”

“University of North Dakota, a sugar daddy, and because my degrees left me with a lot of knowledge but not a lot of employability.”

I nearly spit out my drink, but coughed and choked as it went down instead. “One of those is definitely a lie.”

“Nope.” She smiled. “But, you have given me an idea. Two truths and a lie. Let’s see…” she actually rubbed a hand over her chin, as if she was stroking a beard. “I used to jump out of planes to fight forest fires, I grew up on a ranch, and I finished high school at a boarding school.”

I tilted my head to the side. She had just said she hadn’t come from money, so the boarding school one didn’t seem likely, and she was too young to have been a victim of that particular brand of forced assimilation. She was from the western U.S., so it was likely she had grown up on a ranch...which would make it possible that she’d left to attend some kind of boarding school. And she could have been a scholarship student. “The lie is that you were a fire-fighter.”

Her smile was smug this time. “Nope. I did not grow up on a ranch.”

I stared at her. “You’re kidding.”

“Which one do you find less believable?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but then I thought about what she looked like in her fancy dresses. She was toned and sculpted, and she was clearly fairly athletic, as evidenced by the way she managed to make that jump as we were skiing earlier. Suddenly I felt my face flush, and I hoped it was too dark in the cellar for Zane to see it. “Uh, most high schools in the U.S. aren’t boarding schools.”

She nodded. “Yeah. But to be fair to you, it wasn’t a boarding school, or a high school, in the sense that most people think of it. It was actually Job Corps. Have you heard of it?”

“I have, actually.” I peered into my nearly empty glass. “Wait, how did this whole game start again?”

“You said I reminded you of a baby deer, stumbling into the hunter’s campsite, and I wanted to know what you thought you knew about me that you could base that assessment on.”

“Ah, so you’re trying to put me into my place.”

“I prefer to think of it as utilizing a teachable moment.” She put a hand over her mouth as she yawned. “Wow. I think it’s later than I previously thought.”

I downed the rest of my drink and stood, holding out a hand to her. “Let me walk you back to your room. Not because I think you need me to, but because I am a gentleman, if not by birth.”

“Now that is something that you and I have in common,” she replied as she grasped my hand and got to her feet. “I’d ask you to remember that.”

I grinned. “I’ll do my best Zane.”

******

“She was just...real.” I laughed, dragging a hand across my face. “Real accept for this one thing. Like I said earlier, she wrapped up a lie in layers and layers of truth. But it’s like the pit in a plum; it’s still there, no matter how good the rest of the fruit is, and you can’t digest that part.” I looked down at my hands, examining them, as I listened to the scratch of Porter’s pen on the paper. “Wait,” I looked up, my eyes widening.

Porter stopped writing. He looked at me, his expression open and patient. “What is it Drake?”

I had to stand suddenly. I got up and started pacing, running my hands through my hair. “She could have played me, she could have really used me. I told her how I felt about her. She asked me to stay, right after she was practically assaulted by Tariq, she trusted me, enough to be alone with me.” I paused, and in doing so realized that my breathing had quickened. “And then I spilled my guts. She could have used it to her advantage somehow. But she told me the truth, about how she felt about me, and how she felt about Liam. She could have easily lied about Liam, she could have just said she was in Cordonia for him. But...she didn’t.”

I sat back down, feeling more confused than ever. So many things pointed to her being worthy of amnesty. But it doesn’t take much to poison the well. I closed my eyes and wracked my brain for something that would bring some clarity.

I opened my eyes. “The night I got shot,” I said.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And when I wake tomorrow  
> I'll bet that you and I will walk together again.  
> Cause I can tell that we are gonna be friends.  
> Yes, I can tell that we are gonna be friends.
> 
> -The White Stripes "We're Going to Be Friends"

“You should go get some sleep Zane.” I had thought I wouldn’t be able to sleep, considering the lack of painkillers and the fact that I’d had a bullet tear into me, but I could barely keep my eyes open.

“I’m staying here so I can wake up and check your vitals periodically.” Her mouth was set in a firm line, and I could tell she was worried. I tried to distract myself by looking at anything else, but my eyes were drawn to the blood on her skirt, which she’d ripped up to stop my bleeding. I blinked as I looked at her feet. “You’re wearing cowboy boots under your evening gown.”

“I wear cowboy boots under all my evening gowns. High heels are Satan. And the surgeon who fixed my femur made his opinion about them very clear as well.”

I met her eyes. “You’ve been waltzing in cowboy boots this entire time and it wasn’t even noticeable.”

She grinned and settled next to me on the couch. “When I took ballroom dance lessons a few years ago, I learned in my cowboy boots. Surgeon’s orders, you know.”

I managed a smile. “You’re something else Zane.” 

Something shifted in her expression, a calm facade fading to reveal-not exactly worry, but sorrow. “Drake, don’t ever do anything like this for me again. Please.” 

I’d seen Zane with armor on before, the way she could wield snark like a weapon, the way she could shift her body language. She knew how I felt about her, knew that she was one of the few people who had earned my trust, knew exactly why I jumped right into the line of fire. But then it occurred to me that she and I were cut from the same cloth. 

“Sorry Zane. I can’t help it. It’s not in my nature.”

There was just a moment of surprise before recognition dawned in her eyes. She smiled. “Fair enough Walker. Fair enough.””

**

“I don’t know if any of that is actually helpful.” 

Porter looked at me and gave me the hint of a smile. “You’ve been invaluable, actually.” He paused, considering, tapping his pen against the notepad. “I want to return to something you said about Riley. She wrapped her lie in layers and layers of truth.”

“Yeah.”

“People lie to flatter people, to avoid awkwardness, to influence others, to avoid a negative outcome, to try to ensure a positive outcome, to make one’s self look more impressive, or to maintain a previous lie. And lies fall under a few categories: omission, restructuring, denial, minimization, exaggeration, or fabrication.” He paused. “Which of these reasons do you think Riley chose to lie, and which categories do her lies fall under.” He flipped a few pages back in his notebook and turned it towards me. He’d written the categories out.

I tapped the page with my index finger. “Well, she was a CIA officer, so, I guess the whole waitress turned future queen angle was all about influencing others to get information.” I paused. “If anything, she was trying to make herself seem less impressive during that social season. I mean, she was savvier than she let on,” I paused, “although I always thought a lot of people just weren’t smart enough to see how sharp she is.” I looked at his list again. “I guess she was trying to ensure a positive outcome overall. I mean, if she’d come clean at any point, she never would have ascended, Maxwell wouldn’t have married her, she wouldn’t have even returned to Cordonia.” I looked at Porter. “I have to wonder if life would have been easier for her if she had just...stayed in the States.” I looked at the categories again. “But if you wanted to fit them all into one category...they were lies of omission.” I paused, narrowing my eyes. “One lie of omission.”

Porter leaned forward just a little. “You compared Riley’s lie to the stone of a fruit, and the truth that surrounded it to the flesh. The fruit is, by definition, developed from the stone.” He looked down at his notes before returning his gaze. “Lies don’t produce truth, lies propagate other lies.”

I blinked. “It’s a metaphor, Doc.”

He gave me a gentle smile. “And metaphors can provide or obscure clarity.”

I nodded, thinking of the compass I’d given to Liam. 

A few days later...

The sound of Zane’s boots became louder, echoing on the wood floor as she entered the kitchen.

“Thanks for reading my text,” I said over my shoulder, before returning my attention to griddle so I could carefully plate the sandwich. “Because this would have not made it to your study.”

Zane was just sliding into a chair as I carried the plates over to the table. I slid into a chair across from her.

“Thank you Drake.” She contemplated the croque monsieur. “You and Hana are really spoiling me.” She looked at me, her eyes searching mine. I suppressed a wince at the guilt-and the sorrow within them.

“Well, that’s what you get when you jump in front of a bullet. A little comfort food. If you’re good, maybe I’ll even crack open my break-in-case-of-emergency whiskey.”

That got something of a smile out of her. She picked up her knife and fork and started cutting into her sandwich.

“And since I’m feeling generous,” I added between bites of my own sandwich. “I just might rustle up some smores later.”

“I’d like that,” she said quietly. “Maybe I’ll even let the marshmallow toast, instead of torching it.” This time the smile actually reached her eyes.

“Whatever you want Zane. Even when you completely disregard proper marshmallow toasting procedure, you and I are friends.”


End file.
